Posted by FoM on November 09, 1999 at 18:23:18 PTby Carol M. Ostrom, Seattle Times staff reporter
Source: Seattle Times

Crohn's disease, which can cause abdominal pain, nausea and weight loss, has been added to the list of illnesses qualifying patients under state law to use medical marijuana.

A panel of the state Medical Quality Assurance Commission voted Friday to include the disease, along with cancer, HIV, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and other seizure disorders, spasticity disorders, glaucoma and other terminal or debilitating medical conditions characterized by "intractable pain" unrelieved by standard medical treatment.

The Washington State Medical Marijuana Act, created by the passage of Initiative 692 in the fall of 1998, allows patients with those conditions and a doctor's recommendation to possess and use marijuana for medical purposes. Federal laws banning marijuana, however, remain in effect.

Bonnie King, executive director of the commission, said panel members noted the lack of research findings, and made their finding based on anecdotal evidence.

"It's not been easy for the commission to be in this position," said King. "These are traditionally trained physicians who would certainly never prescribe marijuana themselves, but they have tried to be very open-minded and listen to anecdotal evidence that medical marijuana has some benefits. They've had to sort of step away from scientific studies."

Not every Crohn's patient will qualify under the law, however. To qualify, the patient must have "debilitating symptoms that are unrelieved by standard treatments or medications." The disease, which attacks the bowel, is not always debilitating, King said.

Rob Killian, the primary sponsor of Initiative 692, testified on behalf of the petition. Many Crohn's patients have long espoused the use of marijuana to ease more severe symptoms, he said.

"By adding this illness to the list, we are further safeguarding a group of patients who need protection from criminal prosecution for using a medicine that works," he said.

Under the law, the commission must consider petitions submitted by patients or physicians to add terminal or debilitating conditions to those covered by the act.

King said the next petition to be considered will be for hepatitis C, a virus that can cause anorexia, abdominal discomfort, nausea and vomiting.

Carol M. Ostrom's phone message number is 206-464-2249. Her e-mail address is costrom@seattletimes.com

The Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America has a website that works on the behalf of people with Irratible bowel Diseases: http://www.ccfa.org/ I have Ulcerous colitus which is inflamation of the inner lining of the intestine and when I heard about Crohn's disease I was thankful for what I have instead of a disease that affects the outside as well as the inside of the colon.

I know someone with the disease and if Maryland had passed their medical cannabis law that included Crohn's disease I would have suggested she move to Maryland. There was a commenter here that had his mother suffer terribly in her last days with Crohn's and was outwardly angry that the government had covered up the medical benefits of cannabis because it might have saved his mother much agony. That is what I think will kill the prohibitionist. That they have lied and they have killed all the studies that could have done the most to prevent pain and suffering for millions of people, including people's mothers that suffered with Crohn's disease before welcoming death.

When I say the prohibitionist are murderers, I really mean it. Prohibition kills and inflicts needless pain and suffering. Prohibition is insanity with its own fortress.

i've had chron's now since about 1996 or so, and it hasn't been easy. This made my life have lots of stomach pains, it tested me on how fast i could run to the washroom which was only 200ft away. Once I was diagnosed i killed any bad things i could think of. I pretty quit drinking (and i totally recommend you do not drink with chrons), i tried to eat as healthy as possible (but i am human), i tried to quit regular smoking (failed that) and i did quit smoking weed which was very casual then (mistake). I ended up having to quit college after one succesful year. Got multiple fistula's which are very painful and takes very little to get them to react. It was very difficult to live your life because you have so much to overcome. I would try many medications and the only one that would prevent it was steroids which did not do good for bones. Whether it be Pentasa, Immurane they wouldn't work. Cipro or Flajl would work for a bit and then wear off. However, so far with weed I get an appetite which can help get my weight a little stable. I really don't have any of the pains. There is no hangover in the morning and the side effects are not that bad. Before I go if anyone wants to contact me, please do my email is attached. I also mentioned alchahol a mistake. Well with chrons I would even consider drinking. With myself I would experience a chrons 1 week hangover after getting drunk. Sometimes i feel bad that i enjoy the feeling of getting stoned as a lot of people say that it is evil. But the way I look at it, is if im happy this way and I feel better physically and in health. Then sweet, it's all working.

Comment #16 posted by ezskanking420 on August 20, 2002 at 20:50:52 PT:

Smoking pot with Crohn's

High. I am a 16 year old girl and was diagnosed with Crohn's disease in January of 2001. Fox 5 news did an interview with me at the end of January in 2002. My doctor was chosen to do an interview on Crohn's Disease and they asked him to chose a patient to interview and he chose me. Mainly because when I was diagnosed I had a fistual that grew inside my colon and bursted out of my body the 4th day in the hospital. I wasn't allowed to eat for 8 days. Anyway, I have been smoking pot since I was in 7th grade. But when I got to high school it became more of a daily thing. After leaving the hosptial in February 2001, I was still in somewhat of pain but I took 60 milligrams of steriods. After the doses of the steriods began to drop I started smoking weed again. I recommend to anyone lowering their doses of streiods or getting off steriods completely to smoke weed. It can really help. Till this day (August 20, 2002) I have been smoking pot about 3 times a day and I haven't had a bad day ever since I got out of the hospital. I truely believe marijuana should be one of the medications for Crohn's patients. It releaves my stress, reduces abdominal pain, and brings back my hunger.

i'm 16 years old and i've had crohns since i was in 3rd grade. i'm a sophomore this year and i'm getting my liscence and everything, but i've been out of school now for 6 weeks because i was in the hospital with pain. they tried remicade last year, but the scarring side effect has now casued the need for a resectioning which will be my second ressection. i was on oxycontin and that didn't help either, if you think marijuana would help, let me know

G'day I'm a 54 year old female diagnosed 6 years ago with chrons disease, had an emergency resection with the loss of about 12" of small bowel ilieum and other infected parts, because of the debilitating side effects of chrons my home has become my life, other than being treated with prednisilone every now and then when I have severe flare ups, I am not on any medication, due to the effects of chrons i.e. fatigue, insomia, joint pain stomach pain, memory loss etc etc I am now seeking any cures that might have worked for any other chrons sufferer, if you have any new and relevant information please forward to my email. I thank you and wish all chrons a G'day.

Comment #12 posted by Jake Metcalf on September 18, 2001 at 06:37:04 PT:

Marijana as a medicin for crohn's disease

I have had Crohn's disease for about 2 years. I failed a whole year of high school.for the past six months I have been using marijana as a medicane I am off all of my pills and feeling better then ever. If anyone has any info on how to make it legal just like cancer and AIDS patients..please E-mail me at splaze16@hotmail.com. thanks for all you help...

Comment #11 posted by Angie James on September 05, 2001 at 13:11:07 PT:

Arrested for Marijuana use & have Crohns disease

Marijuana is the only thing that helps me deal with this disease. Now I am going to court and I am trying to prevent me having to spend time in jail. So anybody with information on this kind of situation would be very helpful.mandel21@hotmail.com

I've had crohns disease for, i'm guessing, all my life. As far back as I can remember I would lay on the bathroom floor in a fetal position screaming and crying because the pain was just unbearable. Two years ago I had part of my intersine removed and I was put on 6-MP, Remicade, Asulfadine, and other numerous medications. I continued to lose weight until oneday I had almost "lost it."(mentally I mean) I tried marijuana becasue im all for the use of earth grown medications over chemically engineered medications. It reduced my nausea by close to 100% and the pain is now little to none. My appetite is back to how it was when i was on prednisone, that horrible side effect ridden steroid. My mom ridicules me for the use of it because she just doesn't understand what its like to go the the bathroom 10-15 times a day and lay in bed in pain for nearly all your life. Right now i'm in the procces of pushing everyone I know that has chrons to try it because i've seen what it has done for me and if anyone out there has had to live the rediculous painful life that I have, I would highly recomend trying it. I've found no side effects except the one that goes with people looking down on you for healing yourself on your own in a country where the doctors and the government will not. How can something as destructive as alcohol be legal when it impairs motor skills and destroys the families of those who consume it, and marijuana which the government and FDA know that can help people in pain and in need of something to help them eat be denied the right to heal themselves with the use of a plant that was put here on the earth by the being that even the hipocritical U.S. Government puts on their legal tender.... Is this statement really true "In GOD we trust"????

i was diagnosed with moderate to severe crohns disease about 14 months ago. i had a series(@0-2-and6 weeks) of remicade and it was miraculas. it made me regain the weight i had lost, i went from 160 to 140 in about 5 months. simmilar to you. and i felt better after the first treatment. i regained weight, energy, no pain(hydrocodone hlped imeasurably at first but i quit after a week because i didnt need it any more). its a simple iv-infusion procedure. worst part is the iv, but thats not really as painful as uncomfortable/scary if you dont dig needles. i lost my fear of medical procedures by now. but anyways i digress. make sure that the pharmacy that orders the remicade for you speaks to your doctor about diluting it ocrrectly. if diluted correctly, the experrience is no different than having an iv of saline going. if its infused too quickly/concentrated (same thing) you may have a reaction like i did one time. i got all whoosy and i started throwing up and having trouble breathing and got all hot and bright red, and my head pounded, (just a histamine reacion by your body, like an allergic attack not that serious) but unpleasant to deal with. so perhaps some (mabey 50cc) of benedril (spelling?) willmay help. it does for me. anyways, remicade is cool.

PS i live in washington state and im not sure about where all readers live, but here medical marijuana is legal for crohns patients(not all, do the reading and prevent ignorance) and many crohns patients hav said that it helps with lots of unpleaseant symptoms. later.

Seven years ago, I lost about 80 pound in five months due to heavy inflammations. When I was hospitalised, a co-patient who was undergoing chemotherapy told me that he was given marijana against the sickness and to work up an appatite. He recommended that I would talk to my fysician about it to see whether this could work for me as well. My doctor agreed that it could probably be benificiary for me to try it. So I did, and I can say with all my heart that it is the best medicin I have ever taken. The benifits are great, regaining my appatite, weaken the pain, and the side-effects are minor compared to other medicins I take (the only thing I can notice is that my short-term memory has worsened. I usually take a joint one hour before dinner and one before I go to bed and in case of severe pain one or two extra during the day.Luckely I live in Holland, which is one of the few countries where getting the stuff is no problem. It is even possible to get it at cost-price when your doctor aplies for it (but it would still be illegal to do so for him so I won't ask). I hope that in other countries the battle for legislation (on a medical base) will soon be won. Good Luck with everything.

I am 38 years old, a deputy, and live in Virginia and there are no laws allowing marijuana to be used as medical treatment. But right now I would try almost anything. I've been off of prednisone for about a year and have unfortunately gotten worse. I've gone from 155 pounds to around 139 to 141 pounds in the past five months. I am experiencing severe stomach pains that are all day and night. I am scheduled for the new remicaide treatment in two days and will be undergoing a CAT scan, an upper GI with a small bowel follow through, a colonoscopy, and an endoscopy over the next three weeks. Any support or suggestions will be highly appreciated, especially about the use of remicaide. Thanks!

Send me an email. I am a 29 year old male that was diagnosed with Crohn's disease 12 years ago. I would be interested in corresponding and sharing experiences on how to cope with this disease in our age group. I can be reached at jheidbre@yahoo.com.

I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease a few months ago, but I have been experiencing related to the illness for about a year and a half. I recently had to leave college, (I am 20.) but until lately, marijuana was really helping my pain and stomach cramping. It would control the nausea and help me relax. It is still effective, but I could totally repress my symptoms for 12-24 hours when I began smoking. Though I don't really think this is an effective lifeime therapy, it is the only substance that has been helpful thus far. I am also facing the possibility of going on Remicade. I occasionally smoked in high school and didn't really enjoy it, but when my boyfriend told me it would really help my pain, I gave it another try. If the non-aggressive therapies aren't easing your pain, or you are comfortable with the idea of smoking, I would hope you would try it. If anyone would like to ask me a question or talk about this, please e-mail me.

I am 27 years old and have been suffering from Crohn's Disease for 6 years. In the past six years I have endured 7 surgeries including a total colectomy. I too prefer not to live with the use of marijuana however since I became ill I find it to be a great pain releiver and it enables me to eat a little more than usual. I welcome anyone who shares my expirence to e-mail me at hollymays@home.com. I am always interested in meeting friends who share my illness.

I to have crohns's disease and I am twenty years old. I have had it for about 3 years now. None of the medications have worked and I too am getting ready to try the remicaide. This last year has been very difficult I havn't been able to eat comfortably in I don't know how long. But when smoking pot I feel relaxed and hungry It cuts out the nausea and most of the pain. I highly recommend you try it. I hope this helps.

I have Crohn's disease--I'm 27 and work in the medical profession. I recently took Remicaide. It didn't help much--I went 27 weeks without solid food and still suffer from severe nause and vomiting but can now occasionally keep food down. It's not the way I want to live and I am looking for ANY alternatives--I see a specialist who used to work in California and she told me if I lived there she would highly recommend the use of marijuana. I am trying to find out as much information as possible. Who knows, maybe moving wouldn't be a bad thing! If anyone has any input please email me at ; cacti_21@yahoo.com. Thanks

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